


The Ring & The Watch

by vesper_house



Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, DCEU, DCU (movies, Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst and Humor, Canonical Character Death, Crying, Developing Friendships, Female Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Loss, Team Bonding, women supporting each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-14 04:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11775600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vesper_house/pseuds/vesper_house
Summary: Lois has a ring. Diana has a watch. Together they go through the first few weeks after Clark's death.





	The Ring & The Watch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [susiecarter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/susiecarter/gifts).



Lois has taken a few days off to recover – that is the official version. Unofficial one tells a story of denial, bargain, and finally open war between her and Perry. “You’re on vacation, starting this second. End of discussion.”

“For the last time, you can’t…”

“Get out of my sight. Now.”

She had more fighting in her but it would get messy. How to explain that the Daily Planet feels more welcoming than her own home, even though cleaning Clark's desk was almost as painful as the funeral? That she needs to be busy, needs to outrun the cold jabs of the memories unfolding? Of course, she is lying to herself, but it is her choice and she would like to keep it that way, thank you very much. Only at night the truth comes in true colors. Her apartment, her office, and her city become empty, foreign. There is no escape from this, so she does not sleep, watches his favorite shows (he would not like that cliffhanger) in his shirt (smells like wind) and orders take out from that small place at 58th Ave. (their first real date).

Then suddenly it is dawn and she is Lois Lane again. The despair at midnight? Nothing a concealer and some powder could not cover. A new day has come. Nightmares vanish. The light is victorious.

Perry takes it away, that son of a bitch. She does not want to _take her time_. What she needs is for the time to end, preferably with the rest of the world and her “vacation”. That is only fair after what has happened to Clark.

\---

“Excuse me,” a pleasant voice chimes in, “can I join you for a minute?” Lois cannot put the accent on a map. She looks up from her phone and sees a beautiful woman. Tall, brown eyed… familiar. “It’s you.” The woman offers a small, mysterious smile. “Would it be alright if I sit here?”

Frankly, Lois would prefer to be alone. She left her apartment for the first time in two days only because she needed motivation to take a shower and wash her hair. Styling was beyond her current capacity, so she let it air dry – goes well with puffy eyes. Coffee and croissant from the bistro down the street were tempting enough to make the minimal effort of putting some clothes on. The perfect scenario did not include any chit chat with the witness of… Just talking to anyone really. “Yeah, sure.” Curiosity. It will kill her one day, no doubt. “My name is Diana.” The woman puts her cappuccino down on the table. “I wanted to offer my condolences. I didn't get a chance to do it at the funeral.” Lois instantly goes numb; if she hears it one more time she is going to scream. Empty, courteous phrases that change nothing. “Thank you,” the rules of polite society are hard to ignore in situations like these. “You were trying to help. I appreciate that.” She knows Clark would appreciate it too. She is going to endure this torture for him. “I wish there was more I could've done. I’m so sorry for your loss. No one should see their loved ones…”

“Who are you anyway?” Her patience has been wearing thin quicker than usual. “Where did you come from? It wasn't Krypton, was it? The stuff you were wearing was different from what I’ve seen during the invasion.” Diana does not smile. “No, it was not Krypton.” A hint of British accent curves her vowels but it is definitely not the way she has been speaking since childhood. Immigrant… “Where then?”

“I’m afraid you won’t believe me if I tell you,” Diana smirks, bringing the coffee cup to her mouth. That does it. Lois is not interested in being treated like a child. “Look, it’s nice of you for… sympathy sayings and all that but I think you should go now,” she snarls. “I don’t know why I even asked. I wanna forget about everything that happened.”

“The wound won’t heal if it’s left untreated,” Diana’s face falls. “Grief can poison you for the rest of your life. It’ll pass if you allow yourself to be cured. You shouldn’t go through this alone.”

“Why does it matter you? What do you gain from this?”

“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Diana picks up her leather bag. “Call me if you need anything. We can meet for coffee some other time. No talking about that night if you don’t feel like it.” A very stylish business card lands on the table. “I just.... wanted to get to know you. Perhaps it’s me who could use a friend.” After she says goodbye and walks out the door, Lois eagerly grabs the card. Whatever she expected, it certainly was not that.

_Antiques?..._

\---

“Amazons.” Lois tastes the word, lets it settle on the tip of the tongue. “Yes,” Diana agrees quietly. The air of _I’ve had this conversation more than once_ lingers around them when they stroll through the snow covered park _._ “And the gods are all dead?”

“It seems so.” Lois can comprehend this information on a fictional level. The gods are dead because they are a part of old stories; folktales that became something between ancient history and child stories. They are dead because new gods took their place and no one worships them anymore. To think of the figures Lois was reading about in childhood as… beings… with extraordinary powers… able to change the course of human lives… “You haven’t met any of them, right? You said you were born after the great battle.”

“Only one.”

“Which one?” Diana sends her a meaningful look. “You’re asking a lot of questions”.

“That’s part of my charm.” _It’s the only time when I don’t miss him._ “I guess it’s a useful skill in your profession,” Diana tries to dodge the question. “Some people have called me a bloodhound.” Snow crunches loudly under their boots. “They’re not wrong you know.” Lois makes it clear that she is ready to dig up some stuff about her new friend. All she needs is just a little more encouragement. A soft sigh escapes Diana’s mouth: she gives up. “Ares.”

“The god of war.”

“Yes. He had caused a lot of suffering.” Her tone suddenly becomes harsher. “Although not as much as people.” Lois instinctively knows she should leave it at that. Street lights are slowly coming to life. The path they are walking on leads to a lovely gazebo. It brings back memories. Lois steers away from them by imagining the pantheon of gods from the old myths. One name makes her heart skip a beat. “What about Hades?”

“No one has seen him in centuries,” Diana says. “I know what you’re thinking. It’s not possible.”

“What makes you so sure?” She tries to sound sane even though the subject is illogical. However, after everything she had experienced, dismissing an idea simply because it is _impossible_ does not seem reasonable anymore. Everything has to be taken seriously, from pulp novels to Greek mythology. Diana’s are eyes are full of melancholy. “Do you really think I’ve never thought about it?” They pass by the gazebo, making Lois clamp her teeth so tightly it nearly hurts the jaw. She is going to win with memories, with this city. Soon everything will go back to the way it was. Shops, streets, buildings will become nothing but pieces of architecture. Soon the pain will go away. It has to. “Who died?” Lois asks. To her surprise, Diana looks up to the sky, shy smile gracing her beautiful face. “His name was Steve.”

\---

It was meant to be just a walk in the park but once they started talking, it felt like a dam has burst. There was just so much to be said. Finally, they both had someone who could understand. So after the walk they grabbed something to eat. Then a desert. Then another coffee. Then drinks. In the evening they ended up in Diana’s hotel room and ordered some very expensive alcohol. “Can you even get drunk?” Lois asks after downing the first round of scotch. “It’s not easy with this stuff,” Diana frowns. “Never stopped me from trying though,” she giggles, which makes Lois giggle too. “Clark couldn’t”. She has not spoken his name out loud in weeks. “Poor thing had to pretend when we went out with friends from work. He tried to slur, you know, like a drunkard, but it sounded like a bad imitation of Australian accent.” She laughs heartily as Diana pours her another one. “It was hilarious. I think I have it recorded somewhere, it was that good. He wasn’t amused of course.”   

“You mean he didn’t have a sense of humor?”

“Oh no, he was funny,” Lois takes a small sip. “Funny but not smug, you know? More like a dork. He was laughing at cat videos for fuck’s sake.”

“Everyone laughs at cat videos.”

“No, no, people _chuckle_ at them, just a little. With Clark, it was _real_ laughter, like it was coming from his stomach.”

“Well then, to laughter,” Diana proposes and raises her glass. It is met with approval. “Don’t you have work in the morning?” Lois asks suspiciously. “Just some emails to send and calls to make. Don’t worry, I’m not going to have a hangover.”

“Amazons don’t get that? Hell, now I’m really jealous.”

“Oh, I’m not an Amazon.”

“But you’ve said…”

“That I’m the _princess_ of the Amazons, yes. Not one of them.” Suddenly Lois gets scared. She gave her trust too easily. Rookie mistake. “So who are you?”

“I’m the daughter of Zeus.” There is no inclination that she is lying or making a joke. It is just… it is what it is and somehow it makes sense. “Fuck.” Lois rubs her temples. “Fucking… fuck. _Fuck._ ”

“One more?”

“Yeah, and better make it double.”

\---

Lois wakes up the next morning on a blue velvet couch with the worst headache she had in years. “Good morning,” Diana greets her cheerfully, sitting by the desk nearby. “Breakfast?”

“I’m so sorry”, she has not done anything like this since college. Accomplished, respected woman over forty, wearing yesterday’s clothes and stinking like a distillery in a stranger’s hotel room. Embarrassing. Pathetic. Exactly like she has been feeling lately. “I’m just… Sorry.”

“You needed that, honey,” Diana smiles like the sun, natural and warm, and in this moment Lois thinks they can be really good friends. “So, what about the breakfast?”

“Just water, please,” Lois smiles tiredly.

\---

They meet every day. Sometimes just for an hour. Other times they are inseparable through day and night. Two souls who do not know exactly how to cope with reality. “I thought I was a bitch,” Lois laughs bitterly, tears rolling down her face, “I didn’t know it could get to me like this.” She finally managed to pack Clark’s things into paperboard boxes. Nearly dehydrated herself in the process before Diana showed up in her apartment with dinner. “Look at this, just boxes with some stupid shit in them. It’s all that’s left. Isn’t this horrible? You live, you work… He has done so much and this is... “ Diana gets closer and holds her in a tight embrace. “Don’t get rid of everything,” she whispers. “You need a memento. You’ll regret it if you won’t keep anything that reminds you of him.”

“Oh, I’ve already decided,” Lois says, wiping her nose rather clumsily. “I’m gonna keep the ring.” White diamond, platinum band. Simple and timeless. A promise of the future that could have been. She thought of selling it and donating the money to charity. Maybe someday. Now it is too hard. “Good,” Diana pets her hair gently. “That’s a good decision. I think it would make Clark happy."

“Do you have a memento?” Lois asks, trying to compose herself. “Something that reminds you of Steve?”

“Yes, I do. I’d love to tell you the whole story but dinner first.” She puts her coat on the hook by the door. “Shall we?”

\---

“Does it ever stop?” Snow falls heavily behind the restaurant’s window. The plane to Paris has been delayed until further notice. “No,” Diana sighs, “but it becomes bearable. You’ll learn to live with it. You’re strong enough, I promise.”

“You never said that you loved him.” Lois watches her closely. “That’s what keeps you from letting go, isn’t it?”

“Always the reporter,” Diana shakes her head. “I’m going back to work on Monday,” Lois smirks. “Have to flex a little before getting into the eye of the storm again.”

“That’s great! Is that why your hair looks different?”

“Thanks. Went to my hairdresser yesterday. He almost didn’t recognize me.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“I am.” There is an understanding. Their bond is not one that can be broken easily. Lois knows she does not have to say it but words said out loud with the right intent are like magic spells. She wants to believe in magic. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Diana’s phone beeps. Turkish Airlines invites all the passengers on board and apologizes for the inconvenience. “I hope you'll visit me in Paris.”

“I will,” Lois cracks a smile. It looks and feels like an honest one. “By the way, you never told me what’s your memento.” Diana’s smile does not have any joy behind it. She picks up her purse, saying: “Now, where did I put it,” pretending that she actually could forget where is it. “Here,” she hands Lois a pocket watch. “Is that the one…”

“Yeah,” Diana laughs a bit. “The same one. Good times.”

“The _package_ too I believe?”

“Yeah. They don’t make _packages_ like that anymore.” They both laugh, hoping for the good times to come back, even if it is going to be just a dream.

\---

Lois holds him so desperately, so tightly that _she_ is about to lose breath. It is clear she is never, ever going to let him go. Miracles do not happen; some people are miracles simply by existing. Maybe he is a god after all. Bruce will probably get into that sooner or later.

Diana looks up to the sky, breathes deeply to calm her heart. “I know you’re not coming back,” she says very quietly to the ghost in the clouds. “And that’s okay. I still love you.”


End file.
